Elysia: Fregoli Delusion Syndrome / Mei: Prologue and Epilogue

No, everyone around me has problems.

Even the world itself has problems.

"Lin, what are you doing standing here?"

"..."

When the white-haired boy walked in from the school gate, Lin stopped thinking. He stared intently at his friend, who waved to him cheerfully and jogged over.

"Oh dear, we almost missed it. Let's go to the classroom."

"... Kevin."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Where did you go yesterday?

Kevin immediately gave Kevin a "good question" look.

"Hehe, actually I went to Eden's concert yesterday," Kevin whispered in Lin's ear.

"... Yesterday?" Lin asked, frowning. "Was there an Eden concert yesterday?"

"Yes, but unfortunately I only managed to get one ticket, and I left in such a hurry that I had to tell you." Kevin coughed and looked at Lin somewhat apologetically. "Let's go together next time. I promise I'll be able to get two tickets next time."

"What about plum blossoms?"

"Hey, this is definitely a friendly activity between men."

Lin remained silent for a long while, then nodded slightly.

Next time...

After school, Lin held a can of hot coffee and stood on the rooftop, gazing at the sunset.

The rooftop door behind her was pushed open, and the gray-haired girl came onto the rooftop.

"Lin, have you decided to believe me?"

"Hmm." Lin finished his coffee in one gulp. He stared indifferently at the students who looked like tiny ants as they walked by, laughing and joking. "Let's start with Kevin. I have some questions about his itinerary yesterday. He said he went to Eden's concert yesterday."

"Eden ...there was indeed a concert yesterday."

Qianqi quickly searched on her phone.

"We can't possibly fly to the concert venue; it's probably deserted by now, and even finding any other traces would be a hassle," Qianqi suggested after pondering for a moment, stroking her chin. "Since Kevin attended the concert, he should still have the commemorative tickets."

Commemorative tickets are very valuable souvenirs, especially Eden's commemorative tickets. Many people have auctioned off tickets to Eden's concerts online for astronomical prices, so Kevin should definitely keep the commemorative tickets.

"Let's go to Kevin's house then." Lin casually tossed the empty coffee can into the trash can downstairs.

"Shouldn't we make some preparations first?"

Qianqi asked in confusion.

"What should we prepare?"

"You're just planning to... sneak in and steal the tickets like this?"

"No, I didn't say I was going to sneak in."

Lin Xinping said calmly.

"And you..."

Half an hour later, in front of Kevin's house.

Lin inserted the key into Kevin's door lock, and it clicked open. He casually pushed the door open and went inside.

Qianqi followed silently behind him.

These two... really have a good relationship.

Chapter 51 Elysia: Fregoli Delusion Syndrome

"This is way too... out of the ordinary."

On a bench in a brightly lit commercial street, a girl with long pink hair was in a state of turmoil. Her mind was like a broken tape recorder, constantly playing scenes from her dreams, making it impossible to distinguish between the past and the future, reality and illusion.

The helmeted man who looks just like Lin... is he Lin from the future? The helmeted man is injecting them with memories that don't belong to them, namely those dreams, and he also wants them to kill Lin.

For him, there was another Elysia, but that person was not himself.

He attempted to inject Elysia's memories, hoping to revive her within his body.

But is that really the case?

She only arrived in Changkong City a few days ago and had no connection with Lin before that. She can leave now if she wants to.

Just thinking about Lin makes my heart flutter inexplicably, and I feel a dull pain as if my heart is being torn apart, even though we've only known each other for a few days.

"Let's go for a walk."

Elysia stopped her increasingly muddled thoughts, got up, took a deep breath, and walked into the night market with a smile.

She had many dreams, so she also glimpsed the experiences of another Elysia. She would always appear beside the stern-faced boy, like a petal drifting in the air, accompanying him elusively. When he took a step closer, she would take a step back. When he was in pain and filled with self-reproach, she would go to his side again.

She has a kind of... bad girl vibe.

But you can't entirely blame her. In her dreams, Lin is always sending out distress signals, yet she's like a hedgehog, not allowing anyone to get close.

With that look in his eyes, how could anyone resist bullying him?

In comparison, Lin on her side... although she's quite cute, there's something strange about her, like a naughty guy who's always holding back laughter and doing something mischievous.

No, no, no, why am I still thinking about these things?

Elysia shook her head, and before she knew it, she had walked to a dimly lit place. When she looked back, she realized that she had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed she had taken the wrong path.

Never mind, it's better to be quiet.

She had planned to walk a little further and then go home, but just then, she heard the echoing sound in the valley for the second time.

"Elysia ..."

"Huh? You're that weirdo who can't open his eyes."

The man who had suddenly appeared and disappeared before Elysia appeared before her was none other than the man who possessed an extraordinary aura that one could never forget after just one glance.

"Have you found him...?"

"We found him a long time ago." Another person whose situation we don't know. Elysia sighed. "Are you in cahoots with the other Lin? If so, that would be good. At least two incomprehensible things could be reduced to one."

"Have you seen him?" The man frowned slightly. "Is he Lin?"

"That face must be unforgettable," Elysia said after a moment's thought. "Are you called Sue?"

If you think back carefully, when Lin from the future was speaking to an empty space, it looked just like she was speaking to the man in front of her now, which means...

"Yes."

Really.

"Did you hear our conversation? It really is him. This time he's not disguised as Lin, so who could it be...?"

"Camouflage?"

Su stopped talking to himself and opened his hand to Elysia, revealing a map of Changkong City with prominent markings on its edges.

"He's in this place now. He wants to end it all on his own. Go find him."

"... Could you please rephrase what you're saying in a way that I can understand?"

"He will die."

Indeed, those three words hit the nail on the head.

When Elysia heard those three words, she felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if those words had become a sword piercing her heart.

"Elysia, be sure to pay attention to discern the difference." The man's figure faded again, clearly indicating that, like last time, their conversation was short.

"Distinguish what?" Elysia's eyes had changed from flippancy to something else. Her smile faded, and she asked seriously.

"Everyone... He... Zzz... Fregley..."

Freghley?

Before the man could finish speaking, his figure dissipated into the starlight.

Elysia looked up at the unchanging moon and stars overhead, let out a heavy breath, and then began to move towards the spot Su had marked.

In short, seeing him again should bring everything to light.

Frederick.

Elysia searched for the term and the results showed Fregoli Delusion Syndrome, a mental illness.

People suffering from this condition believe that everyone around them is the same person in disguise, and that all acquaintances and strangers are the embodiment of the same persecutor, changing appearances at any time and always by their side, attempting to persecute them.

What does this mean...? Is Su implying to herself that someone around her is pretending to be an acquaintance and wants to harm her?

The unfinished sentence was probably meant to make her pay attention to the nuances...

No... don't think about that now. Let's go find Lin from the future. This time, we'll confront him and make him tell the truth.

Having made up her mind, Elysia quickened her pace. The night was long and the people were few. She moved faster and faster, as if countless eyes were silently watching her from behind.

Almost there, almost there...

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a hooded figure darted around the corner ahead. Before Elysia could even see clearly, it disappeared without a trace, as if fleeing.

Who is that?

The short figure didn't seem to be Lin, but Elysia suddenly felt a jolt in her heart, and an indescribable feeling welled up from the cavern in her heart.

"Sizzle—"

What is that sound?

Something was being torn apart, and the sound of something being ripped apart came from where the figure had fled.

Elysia swallowed hard, then rushed forward hastily. She had a bad feeling, and that feeling became a reality when she smelled the strong scent of blood.

The ending, in the worst way she could imagine, was presented to her.

The limbs, like rag dolls torn to pieces by a naughty child, were scattered all over the ground.

The ground, which was originally blood red, was covered with a thick liquid.

A familiar face was there.

In the center of those parts.

In the center of those "things" that were originally "forests".

She had long pink hair that Elysia loved and was incredibly proud of, like a pink waterfall that shimmered in the starry night.

Her face wore a carefree smile, her playful and pretty features making it seem as if Elysia was standing in front of a mirror.

In her hands, she held the head, connected to the spine.

The owner of the head was called...

"Ah..."

Elysia's throat was blocked.

I can't breathe.

Unable to shout.

In this dark night, she saw the "nothingness" outside the city and the cruel "ending".

Chapter Fifty-Two: Plum Blossoms - Prologue and Epilogue

Are they going out to play today too?

Under the twilight that seemed to repeat itself countless times, the girl with a cold expression pushed up her glasses, closed her book, and watched the two walking side by side towards the school gate.

I just heard them say "another me," they must have gone to find Lin in the future.

... Speaking of "the future" is probably not very accurate.